Graduate voice student Kelly Walker will be performing “The Star Spangled Banner” at this year’s Commencement Ceremony on Saturday, May 25.

Ms. Walker earned her undergraduate at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo before returning to her hometown of San José. After a lesson with Professor Layna Chianakas, Ms. Walker was encouraged to attend SJSU for her master’s degree.

“I’m working all the time,” she said. “I’m always in a practice room. All the professors expect a lot from us, but I feel like I’m getting the most out of my education that way.”

Ms. Walker hopes to perform professionally after graduation. Her dream job is to perform in the San Francisco Opera Chorus.

On April 15, pianist Gwendolyn Mok, Coordinator of Keyboard Studies, interviewed Johannes Brahms on stage. In the photograph above, they are in conversation about his view on historic pianos from his time and his compositions, the late piano works Opp 116-119. Dr. Mok writes:

Brahms was impressively alert and modern considering his age! He enjoyed the flight from Vienna and was not aware about no-smoking laws. Nevertheless, we allowed him to hold the cigar as a ‘security blanket’.

At his beloved Striecher Viennese piano, Brahms performed some of his waltzes for four-hands; his Leibeslieder Waltzes, which featured voice faculty members Sandra Bengochea, Layna Chianakas, Joseph Frank and Krassen Karagiozov with Michael DiGiacinto on the other hand; and the Piano Trio in B major with faculty Diane Nicholeris and David Goldblatt on violin and cello, respectively.

Dr. Gwendolyn Mok has caught the attention of the San Francisco Examiner. This past Friday, the Examiner published an interview with Dr. Mok about her studies and performance experience. Read the full article.

The SJSU Choraliers have just confirmed that they will be singing with none other than the Rolling Stones for two concerts on their 50th Anniversary Tour: Sunday, May 5 in Oakland and Wednesday, May 8 at HP Pavilion in San José. The Choraliers will be featured live on stage in each of these concerts. More details to come!

Dr. Gwendolyn Mok, along with voice and string faculty, will perform a concert of Brahms to celebrate the launch of Dr. Mok’s latest solo CD, Brahms, The Composer’s Piano, Late Piano Works tonight, April 15 at 7:30PM in the Music Concert Hall. Admission is $10 for students, $20 for general. Proceeds from the concert will go towards the School’s Historic Keyboard Collection.